First the good news - got through the framing inspection on my addition with only a few small issues to address! 


Now the problem - as I was working out there last night I noticed the back corner of the garage was very wet. Found that the framing was wet & nail heads stained all the way up to the roof. I'll try to post pics later, but there's a quick sketch below.
Theory #1 About a week ago I had heat in there all weekend - woodburner & propane space heater. Not hot, but comfortable with a light sweatshirt and no gloves. Since nothing is closed in or insulated yet, it melted some snow on the roof, which ran down & refroze at the end of the valley forming an ice dam - the edge of the roof sticks out about 6" from the house, and so was cold. It probably leaked at the time, but I wasn't working over there and didn't notice it.
Fast forward to to last night - yesterday was probably the first time in a week that it's been significantly above freezing, and all the water that was frozen in the wall and roof thaws and makes a puddle on my floor
No ice dam evident - must have melted. But this roof has been on for 4 years and I've never noticed a leak here before, so there must have been one right??
Sound reasonable? If this is true, there's probably no worries. Once it's closed off & insulated below that roof, I shouldn't see this again ... right?
Theory #2 - that long wall is facing south, and the lower part of that valley may be shaded by trees. The sun melts snow higher on the roof, it runs down the valley into the shade and refreezes causing ice dam & subsequent leak. If this theory is true, that insulation won't help. I'm thinking about knocking a hole in the wall and putting an outlet up there (with a switch on the inside) and running one of those heat cables (EasyHeat PSR pre-terminated self-regulating cable) up the valley.
What do you think? I'm leaning toward #1 - but it'll be a bitch putting in that outlet up there once the walls are closed in if I'm wrong. Of course, the outside is stucco, and it's cold and snowy on the roof, so it's a minor bitch now. And I don't like having more holes in my walls then absolutely neccesary!



Now the problem - as I was working out there last night I noticed the back corner of the garage was very wet. Found that the framing was wet & nail heads stained all the way up to the roof. I'll try to post pics later, but there's a quick sketch below.
Theory #1 About a week ago I had heat in there all weekend - woodburner & propane space heater. Not hot, but comfortable with a light sweatshirt and no gloves. Since nothing is closed in or insulated yet, it melted some snow on the roof, which ran down & refroze at the end of the valley forming an ice dam - the edge of the roof sticks out about 6" from the house, and so was cold. It probably leaked at the time, but I wasn't working over there and didn't notice it.
Fast forward to to last night - yesterday was probably the first time in a week that it's been significantly above freezing, and all the water that was frozen in the wall and roof thaws and makes a puddle on my floor

Sound reasonable? If this is true, there's probably no worries. Once it's closed off & insulated below that roof, I shouldn't see this again ... right?
Theory #2 - that long wall is facing south, and the lower part of that valley may be shaded by trees. The sun melts snow higher on the roof, it runs down the valley into the shade and refreezes causing ice dam & subsequent leak. If this theory is true, that insulation won't help. I'm thinking about knocking a hole in the wall and putting an outlet up there (with a switch on the inside) and running one of those heat cables (EasyHeat PSR pre-terminated self-regulating cable) up the valley.
What do you think? I'm leaning toward #1 - but it'll be a bitch putting in that outlet up there once the walls are closed in if I'm wrong. Of course, the outside is stucco, and it's cold and snowy on the roof, so it's a minor bitch now. And I don't like having more holes in my walls then absolutely neccesary!